neil finn and ron sexsmith records

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by joninc

neil's 2 solo records and ron sexsmith's whereabouts are 2 of my all time favorite records/productions and i had a few questions about them.

1. neil's one nil has a really nice wooly vocal sound and retains it's presence in the mix without having a lot of top end. i love that - how the heck do you do it and maintain it's place with such a sophisticated and eventful track (ie: there is often a lot going on around it but it never seems to compete). obviously the man is a great singer and writer but i am curious as to what things you do to the sound as well. (compression/eq?) AMAZING mixes on this record - any stories?

2. the records i mention have the loveliest gooey vocal echo - sounds very dark and one repeat. are you a tape echo user or more analog delay? would love to know more about that sound. seems like there aren't really obvious reverbs on much or even ambience in the tracking so how you achieve the space in your mixes is really is a marvel and mystery to me.

3. your snare drum sounds on these records are so chunky and satisfying. is that coming in large part from your middle kit mic/level lock or is it mainly the snare mics themselves and the way they are tuned and processed?

4. what role does analog tape play the making of these records? is it possible for you to get such organic and pleasing landscapes in a solely digital environment?

5. when you are squashing a drum kit mic (room mic?) do you find yourself doing heavy filtering on the top and/or bottom and then subtly blending it in?

this is a lot to ask - whatever you care to offer is much appreciated. thanks for all the terrifying inspiration.

It's late so I'll be short. Apologies.
-Vocals= Neil, 251>Neve1073>ADL or Distressor. Neil in very close proximity.
-Echo= DOD analog stomp box delay. (MXR's are good but brighter and now the Mooger analog delay is nice.)
-Drums=A lot of Level Loc. Often just the one mic with the head added in.
-Tape/Dig=I don't know, don't really care so much to compare. I think I'm getting big organic sounds now in the box.
-Filtering= I do filter some times or band pass some freqs. neg/pos??? depends.